Exclusive: Interview With Content Creator Cinematic Captures Gives Us an Insight Into ‘Star Wars’ Storytelling With VFX
Star Wars has and continues to offer inspiration for artists and creators all over the world, spawning an incredible extended universe of content. From fan art to original cosplays, to boardgames and novels, there are few areas Star Wars creators have not explored. We reached out and spoke to beloved Star Wars content creator Cinematic Captures about their work in virtual production filmmaking using the Star Wars universe as inspiration.
Cinematic Captures has become well-known on YouTube for their virtual short films set in the Star Wars universe, capturing alternate views of different events like Order 66, creating original stories and giving life to deleted, unfinished Clone Wars scenes.
“I think Star Wars is a brilliant vessel for telling any story because the universe is just so rich and developed.”
So, how did it all start? Well, with years of messing around with different software under their belt, Cinematic Captures was officially born in 2020 after lockdowns allowed time for experimentation with Unreal Engine 4.
“I spent about a month learning the software, and then I decided to put together a test short film to see if I could actually pull off creating animations in Unreal Engine. That test film was my “Order 66″ short film, and it ended up being one of the most viewed videos on my entire channel.”
Since then, the channel has only grown, amassing millions of views for stunning short films that look like they came straight out of the galaxy far, far away. In addition to all of the new projects, Cinematic Captures is now employed at renowned visual effects company Blur Studio, which has worked on cinematics for the likes of Sonic 2, Love, Death & Robots Vol. 3, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, to name a few. Blur was also responsible for the cinematics for the beloved video games Star Wars: The Old Republic (still going strong today) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and this has been said to be a huge inspiration for the content Cinematic Captures creates today.
“Working there has been fantastic so far. I feel like I’m learning a lot, and the teams I’ve worked with have been so amazing and welcoming. No one does it like Blur, so I’m extremely honoured to be working alongside such talented individuals.”
Truly, the talent of creators like Cinematic Captures is awe-inspiring. The shots they create look like pure magic, but in reality take a significant amount of work.
“… from cameras to rough animation and mocap mixing, editing, sound design… We’re the ones responsible for finding the shots and making sure all the narrative beats are working effectively.”
When creating one’s own content, the process from start to finish can take a long time, especially when there is a story to be told. One of Cinematic Capture’s favourite short films, Shadow of the Republic, was not only beautiful artistically, but was also adored by fans of the channel, with people clamouring for more on the characters they grew to love in less than 7 minutes.
“It was a super ambitious project to go into with only two prior short films under my belt… [it] wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing team of people I worked with, and the final result was something I feel very proud of.”
The question is: what is next for the channel? According to the creator, their next project will involve remaking a deleted scene from The Clone Wars in which we discover how Boba Fett’s helmet got its iconic dent.
“I won’t be mimicking the rough layout quite as closely, and will instead be applying my own creative touch to it.”
Their creative touch is definitely something fans want to see more of. If given the chance to create a feature-length film, Cinematic Captures would want to represent the “darker and more grungy areas of Star Wars.”
“It’s not going to be a perfect universe. You need to see the worst to give contrast to the best, otherwise… you lose the humanity of it all.”
A lot of what Star Wars originally frontlined was the creation of new ways to tell stories, stories that highlighted humanity at the centre of a fantastical universe. This legacy is upheld by creators like Cinematic Captures, who continue to tell stories across vast new mediums.
You can find Cinematic Captures’ YouTube channel here.
Rosalie Lambert is a law student from Australia with a deep love for Star Wars, fantasy, and epic stylistic storytelling. Growing up in the country, Rosalie has always loved nature and outdoor activities, and has a passion for human rights and social justice that she wants to work towards in her field of study.
